1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a flying saucer toy having an aerodynamic characteristic enabling it to spin and to travel considerable distances when thrown into the air and, more particularly, to such an aerial toy having an on-board signaling device which is only reliably actuated during flight.
2. Description of Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 3,359,678 discloses a flying saucer toy for toss games and the like. To add interest to the use of such a flying toy, battery-powered lights have been mounted thereon, usually at the periphery thereof, as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,435,917 or 4,563,160. To prevent rapid battery drain, a single centrifugally-actuated switch is employed, as suggested by U.S. Pat. No. 3,798,834, for actuating a battery-powered light or buzzer during flight.
Experience has shown, however, that the use of a single centrifugally-actuated switch to actuate a light or buzzer on board the aerial toy is not altogether desirable. Such a centrifugal switch typically has a movable switch contact which is spring-biased away from the light or buzzer. The spring bias is relatively weak so that it may readily be overcome by centrifugal force generated during flight. However, over time, and particularly after the aerial toy has been subjected to repeated shocks as a result of impacting against obstacles in the flight path over extended use, the spring bias becomes even weaker. As a result, sometimes the force of gravity alone is sufficient to move the movable switch contact, thereby actuating the light or buzzer when the toy is not in flight but is merely being held or stored in a vertical plane. This leads to rapid battery drain and frequent battery replacement.